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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. ground — a position
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. ground — the earth
  7. board — a committee
  8. row — a line
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. land — a country
  12. rash — a series
  13. board — to get on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. row — to paddle
  20. ground — crushed
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rash — hasty
  24. coach — pulled by horses

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com